


Ten-Dollar Bets

by dancesontrains



Category: Ed - Fandom
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, M/M, Multi, Set during early S1, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 15:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5932966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancesontrains/pseuds/dancesontrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A cosy evening in at the Burton house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ten-Dollar Bets

**Author's Note:**

> Set during early S1, when Ed's still living with Nancy and Mike.

"Ten-dollar bet for you: kiss Nancy."

Ed, Nancy and Mike were in their lounge on a cool autumn evening; baby Sarah was asleep upstairs, so they had been indulging in a beer or two and reminiscing about their college days. Ed eyed the ten dollars Mike had pulled out of his wallet, then looked over at Nancy on the other sofa. 

"Are you sure?" she was whispering to Mike, who was nodding back with "I know what I'm doing."

Ed was unconvinced. "Nancy? Your Nancy? Nancy right there?"

"The Nancy over at 452 Edison Lane. She's just turned eighty-three." Mike paused for a beat. "No, my Nancy!" 

Ed moved over to where Nancy was sitting, and bent down to peck her on the cheek before turning back to Mike with a smile on his face. 

"No, no," Mike protested, "an actual one. On her lips."

Ed turned back to Nancy and asked her, "Is that alright with you?" 

"Yes, it is." Her eyes were twinkling in the electric light. 

Ed leaned forward, gently pecking Nancy on the lips while half-closing his eyes. To his surprise, she opened her mouth a little, making it a slightly more intense kiss than he had planned. Not a bad kiss though, not in any way. They broke it off after a few moments, Ed quickly shifting back to his place next to Mike and taking the ten dollars. An awkward silence settled over the room.

Ed took a small sip from his bottle while looking at the expressions of the other people around him. He had a feeling that something was up, and the reactions of the other two confirmed it; Nancy seemed to be expecting something from Mike, who was too busy finishing his beer to respond.  
She finally gave up on waiting and poked her husband in the leg with her socked foot.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I'm doing it." Mike brought out another ten dollar bill. "Kiss me, Edward J. Stevens."

Ed looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Really, Mike? You want to go there?" Mike just looked a little embarrassed. 

Ed put his beer down on the table, glanced over at Nancy - who seemed intrigued - and nodded to himself before leaning forward. Mike had already closed his eyes and pursed his lips a little; it was an amusing sight. 

He hadn't kissed a man since college, and could still clearly remember telling Mike about it soon afterwards. It wasn't that much different from kissing Nancy ( _or Carol, or_..., a part of his mind whispered, which he then suppressed). Ed decided to go for it, deepening the kiss and adding his tongue. He would _earn_ those ten dollars.

Ed and Mike finally broke apart, both gasping for air. Mike looked a little red-faced, and his lips were swollen. Ed found he liked the image, and stared at them for a little too long. Then his eyes moved upwards and connected with Mike's. 

Would this affect their friendship? Judging from the look in Mike's eyes, it already had a little.

Mike silently handed over the ten dollars; Ed put it with the other bill on the table.

"Now, guys ... what was that about? You were clearly planning something, but ..." Ed paused. "I might be reading too much into this, but are you hitting on me?" He looked at them both. 

Nancy grinned back. "Yes, he figured it out! I knew he would."

Ed looked around the room. "Is Carol hiding behind the curtains with a camera? She is, isn't she?"

"No, no, it's just us here tonight." Nancy reassured him.

Mike then turned to her. "Your idea was to take him to dinner and _ask_ , not -" 

Ed decided to interrupt. " _Why_ are you both hitting on me?"

"We... we're looking for a third," Mike said, scratching the back of his head. 

Nancy added, "Yeah, we wanted to try something different, and I thought of you." 

"I'm the ...'something different'?" Ed pointed to himself as he felt his eyebrows rising. This was not how he had expected the evening to go. A few beers with friends - how had that turned into _this_?

"Yeah, basically!" Mike agreed. "I've known you for years, and you're single -"

"And better looking than Mike -"

" _Hey_!" Mike turned towards Nancy, who looked amused at Mike's frown.

"So, would you be interested in spending the night with us," Nancy continued, "see how things go?"

"You needn't decide right this minute," Mike hastily added."There's no pressure whatsoever."

Ed was stunned - he wasn't usually in the habit of kissing other people's wives (or husbands). Being part of a ménage a trios had never been one of his plans, but the events of the last few months - losing his job, leaving his wife after she cheated on him - had taught him that even well-laid plans tended to go suddenly kaput. And he _was_ now single. 

"Yeah, what the hell, why not?" he found himself saying.

Nancy smiled while Mike leaned back looking stunned. Ed turned to him.

"Weren't expecting _that_ were you?"

Mike shook his head, but smiled at him warmly. "Should we go upstairs now, or...?"

"Now is good," Ed agreed. 

They all stood up, knees and limbs hitting furniture; Mike scooped up the baby monitor to take with them, while Nancy put Ed's hand in hers.

The three walked up the stairs - punctuated by the baby's sleeping sounds through the monitor - and walked into Nancy and Mike's bedroom. Ed felt a slowly growing curiosity inside him as he closed the door behind them. Whatever was going to happen would change their friendship for good, and hopefully for the better. 

The twenty dollars lay forgotten on the table, along with the abandoned bottles of beer.

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by [Lonelywalker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelywalker/pseuds/lonelywalker); all mistakes are mine. Thank you for reading.


End file.
